


village killer

by q_q2r8



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Apples, Blood, Character Death, Commissioner Jeno, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Noren, Romance, Sad Ending, countryside, renmin, village
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:41:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29703501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/q_q2r8/pseuds/q_q2r8
Summary: Life in the countryside was peaceful. By the time. Until one day, on a hot day, one of the growers died. Commissioner Jeno wanted to find out the truth at all costs, although this turned out to be more painful than he had imagined.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Song Yuqi/Na Jaemin, Song Yuqi/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Kudos: 2





	1. sunset

**Author's Note:**

> a story I am the creator of, originally written in my mother tongue, you can read it also on wattpad, enjoy!

Life in the countryside has always been different from that taken out of the city. Everything was slower, better, more special. In times like these, when the world was only a few decades away from finding out what a light bulb was, people all the more thought differently. The place, associated with idyll, aroused admiration and longing. A village, half a day's journey on horseback, was no other place. However, everything started to change one summer.

Huang Renjun, one of the local fruit growers, was picking apples that day. As always, dressed in his tiny hat, he sat on a ladder, checking each fruit as he slowly filled his baskets. Elderly Mrs. Lee, walking that day from her neighbor, seeing Mr. Huang warmly greeted him. She waved at him and smiled broadly for that was all she could afford. Planter, not wanting to be rude, replied thus, showing his beautiful, joyful smile. On seeing him, Mrs. Lee wondered how such a happy man had yet to find any soul mate, someone with whom he could spend the rest of his life. She had no idea how many springs he had been through, but she expected it to be more than to be a young bachelor.

Having been at her home for less than an hour, she managed to get through everything. She even prepared an apple pie for her son, who was currently working hard against paperwork. She realized, however, that for an old woman, she forgot to take from her neighbor the scarf she had knitted so meticulously for her child for the winter. So she quickly put on the cover and went outside.

The sun was starting to set. The weather was even more beautiful than when she was returning from her friend. She could not get enough of the views surrounding her. She walked along the path between buildings and gardens, including Mr. Huang's orchard. So when her gaze fell on him, she smiled sincerely to wave at the gardener again. However, everything stopped. Her facial expressions changed dramatically. A second before her eyes, the orchardman fell off the ladder. All the apples he had in his basket scattered over the grass and the one he was holding in his hand ran down his body. Miss Lee, without waiting as much as her old legs allowed, approached the man as quickly as possible. This man's eyesight was hazy, and his mouth seemed blue. The woman, seeing this, turned back and walked to the nearest house as quickly as possible. She knocked hard on the door, not wanting to waste a moment longer. When another old woman opened her, she began to call out, terrified.

"Suyong honey! Let Jinhoo run for the doctor! Mr. Huang fell off the ladder! He barely breathes" her tone was pleading, even desperate. Mrs. Park, hearing these words, quickly called her grandson for the doctor. The boy, having long legs, ran as possible. When he got to the doctor's door, he knocked three times and, when opened, repeated exactly the formula he had received.

"Dear Doctor! Mr. Huang, our grower fell off the ladder! He's barely breathing" he said in one breath, tired of running. The doctor, without waiting for anything, took his medical bag, mounted his horse, and, taking the boy on it earlier, galloped to the farm where the tragedy had taken place.

When he got there he found the worst sight for the eyes. After the fall, the fruit grower's body was immobilized and the lifting of the chest was no longer present. The doctor approached the man, and after all signs of life were negative, he just made a cross sign and closed Mr. Huang's eyes. Mrs. Lee, seeing the doctor's actions, wept bitterly, as if he were her own son. She did not think that the smile is given to her from two hours ago would be the last one she saw on a man's face. Dr. Donghyuck, wanting to know more about the circumstances of finding the body, approached the woman and began questioning her about the situation.

At that time, Commissioner Jeno managed to arrive at the site. As one of the few, he went to the city, where he was educated, then returned to his homeland, and, setting up a small police station in his home, he kept order among the people. He was assisted by a visiting assistant, Lee Mark, who was just learning the trade. As the commissioner himself described, he was an inexperienced, emotional, young man, but ready to learn, which was very useful in this industry.

The servant, learning about the incident, arrived as soon as possible. Seeing the grower's body, he broke down a little. The picture of a dead man lying among flowers and apples, and even more so, of a loved one, was an unpleasant sight. He never wanted to say it, but he was a bachelor by choice, not wanting to expose himself to blotch opinion and especially a chest blow by connecting with someone other than his heart indicated. He came as close to the gardener as he could, forcing himself to control his emotions. After all, he could not even show an ounce of them. Then his little secret would come out, and he would avoid it at all costs.

Putting on a bitter face, he dragged his limbs to the doctor. There he asked the most important questions, and hearing the word death, he sighed heavily.

"Does the doctor think about the involvement of third parties?" he asked, wanting to know if the situation seemed serious, though the proceedings had to start under all circumstances.

"I don't think so, Commissioner. However, I think that it should not be ruled out, because the death happened quickly" the doctor answered truthfully. Jeno frowned then, wanting to reflect on the whole situation.

Together with the doctor, he walked back to the place of death and decided to pick up the apples surrounding the deceased. Each of them was red and beautiful and ripe. They showed the enormous amount of work that the fruit-grower put into what he was doing. Jeno was about to pick up 3 baskets of beautiful fruit when he came across one gnawed by the deceased. Seeing the hole, he frowned, then just as he was about to put them down, his eyes noticed strange dots on the surface of the apple. Seeing them, he turned to the doctor.

"Dr. Lee, look" he handed the apple to the doctor as he spoke. The latter, seeing the remnants of something disturbing, also frowned and bit his lip with nervousness. 

"Commissioner. I cannot determine what it is, but it should be checked. I can't leave a village in an emergency like this. So please send your assistant to the city. I'll write a letter with everything you need to know. Once I have received the results, I will give you the conclusions to be drawn from the research" said Donghyuck, wanting to mention the seriousness of the situation and his professional disability. 

Jeno, seeing this, nodded slightly and called his assistant who was currently writing the testimony on the paper. Hearing the voice of the superior, he quickly wandered, and seeing the body up close, he almost vomited. The doctor, familiar with the boy's sensitivity, smiled slightly.

"Mr. Mark Lee. You will see these scenes very often as future Commissioner. I think you should withdraw while you can" he said sarcastically. He had a strange habit of vexing on an older man, but also lower rank. The latter pressed the cap harder on his head and, huffing under his breath, replied. 

"Doctor, we've talked about this many times before. I will not retire from my profession, and certainly not by your suggestion" the words reaching the recipient made him smile, but not for long. Recalling the circumstances of Mark's arrival, he addressed his request to him, and when the latter obediently accepted the command, he apologized to the gentlemen and set off for his horse. There, pulling out a piece of paper, he wrote down everything he should and handing it to the assistant commissioner, directed him where he should go. The latter said goodbye to Jeno and galloped off to complete the task as soon as possible. 

The commissar was still standing by the boy's body, wondering why such a radiant man could have gone so young. But he couldn't get to his head that it was possible that his death wasn't natural. 

Unfortunately, the truth was bitter here.


	2. mrs. choi

The commissioner was not idle and as soon as he gathered his thoughts, he took his reliable notebook and wandered towards the nearest house adjacent to Mr. Huang's orchard.

On the way, seeing his mother, he hugged her tightly, because it was she who discovered that there was something wrong with the fruit grower. He guessed that the woman would worry about this for a long time. For she was emotional and meticulous, and additionally especially attached to Mr. Huang. This was directly related to the fact that he was of the same age as Jeno and she saw him grow up, mature, take shape. She saw him like her second little son, and later a loner when his parents died due to their old age. As a result, whenever she could, she would come to the Huangs from an early age to let the boys pick apples or do something together. It helped the boys to develop friendship, but not only that. Shortly before Jeno's departure to town, the boy realized how the forbidden power had taken over him. The only thing that comforted him was that it was just himself. So, not wanting to worry his friend all the more, without telling him anything about his feelings, he left. Unfortunately, when the years passed and Jeno returned to the village as a commissioner, seeing the man, he returned to the state before his departure. Both during these months and the boy's reluctance to show emotions, he moved far away from Huang, thus moving to the level of commissioner - fruit grower. Purely orderly. It hurt him every time he had to look Renjun in the eye and see the disappointment of the past and continue to wear his face expressionless.

His return to the past, however, was cut short when he arrived at the door of Mrs. Choi, Mr. Huang's neighbor. He knocked several times, then, seeing the old woman, bowed low. He pulled off his cap and then, grabbing his writing instrument, introduced himself.

"Good evening Commissioner Lee Jeno here. I come in an extremely sad matter. About it, I would like to ask you a few questions. Can you enter?" Jeno's statement was dripping with professionalism. 

The woman, hearing her, nodded her head several times, and then let the man into the house. There she also took him to the table, and then, when they were both seated, the commissioner began his interview.

"If I can be sure, Mrs. Choi Joongsook, right?" the woman nodded.

"Well, if you don't know, in the last few hours, Mr. Huang, your neighbor, has died. We are currently trying to determine the cause of his deat..."

"One scum! He did not manage to live confidently because of his remorse!" the woman cut him off in a pretentious voice.

"The Commissioner knows perfectly well about my poor chickens. It's known it's his fault. I always said it" the old woman did not mince words. Jeno sighed heavily. He could not deny that this was not the case. 

At the end of winter, there was a dull time when Mrs. Choi's chickens started disappearing. Due to the lack of any cases, the commissioner was brought to solve the mysterious disappearances of the creatures, and the first suspect was Mr. Huang due to the proximity of their farms. There was no evidence for a long time, but one evening a hen was found dead near one of the apple trees in Mr. Huang's orchard. It was the only clue that appeared in the entire situation. However, not everything was sticky. No other evidence was ever found from Mr. Huang, and the trail of chicken blood ran from the main village path. Who normally would pull a poor animal like this? Hence, Jeno brought the case to remission not wanting to call Renjun accountable, without having evidence of him and knowing the boy's love for animals. As an excuse, foxes were taken that supposedly sneak into the henhouse at night and kidnap them, although everyone knew that there were no such animals near the village. Since then, Mrs. Choi harbored an enormous hatred for the man, blaming him for everything. Unfortunately, as it turned out, even in the event of his death, she was able to remind him of this unproven guilt.

"Mrs. Choi. Please calm down. I will start again. Mr. Huang, your neighbor, has died. We are in the process of determining the cause of death. Therefore, I have a few questions for you. Be honest, but limit your emotional approach" said the Commissioner calmly, wishing to end the visit to the woman as soon as possible. 

"Have you seen any recent visits to Mr. Huang?"

"Wow. This hermit? He had no wife, so he took for my hens. The only one who visited him was his cousin. I don't know where he is from, but he always wears some motley coat! What for God's sake this is! After all, this is a complete misunderstanding and the height of folly" she replied indignantly. However, seeing Jeno's serious face she faded a little and added a neutral tone.

"This cousin, I think he showed up somewhere at the beginning of summer, but sometimes he comes and brings him some lumber, so it's no wonder. Besides, typically Mrs. Lee, Mr. Na, Mrs. Park. Besides, he often went out to people to hand out his apples. I must admit one thing, they gave birth to him very well"

"I understand, and did you notice any disturbing signs in his behavior?"

"He and disturbing signs? He is all disturbing. Anyway, he has burned whole candles recently to read something at night. I do not know where this verve came from, let alone what he was reading, but he was all so uninteresting" the woman's words were even spat out of her mouth. Listening to all this, Jeno couldn't understand more why the boy was killed. He believed that in all this situation the dots on the fruit he found were not accidental.

"So do you think someone might be trying to harm Mr. Huang?" he asked the last question. The woman pressed her lips together tightly and began to think hard. After a few seconds, however, she closed her eyes and spoke.

"Mr. Lee. As much as I don't like Mr. Huang, I don't think anyone would harm him. It's a pity for him and this, well, orchard. It was possible to stock up, and now who will do it?" the woman replied with the honesty in her voice. 

Hearing this, the commissioner sighed. After that, he got up, thanked the woman, picked up the basket of vegetables for his mother, and left. For the sake of a gift, he first went to his mother's house, where he left the package at the entrance, and then went back to the servants. He only managed to walk around two more houses in the evening - Mrs. Park and Mrs. Kim. Their testimony, however, did not bring anything to the case, and Jeno remained at a standstill. Hence, he did not return to his mother for the night, as he had announced, but went to his makeshift police station and spent the night there, reading his notes over and over and over and over again waiting for two things. 

For a miracle from heaven and a message from the doctor about the substance on the apple.


	3. you get on a horse or not?

The rooster crowed, the clock ticked. Everything was coming to life. The sun rose slowly and the sun's rays fell through the window into the makeshift police station. At one point, they met the face of the commissioner who, exhausted, fell asleep over his papers. A trickle of secretion ran from his mouth, over his arm, to the wooden table.

Jeno, feeling the pleasant warmth on himself and the blinding light at the same time, slowly returned to the world of the living. His eyes slowly opened and his body stretched out like a string. After that, he clicked like a cat, and as he looked down at his notes, he began remembering memories of the previous day. 

Death. Investigation. Dots. No clues. 

As the vision of talking to Mrs. Choi returned to his head, he sighed loudly. It brought nothing to the case, it only irritated Jeno. He picked up his notes to read them again, hoping that this time he would notice something interesting. After a few minutes, however, he became disappointed again, finding no sense in the text. He slid slightly off the chair, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. After a few minutes, he got up and then made a few circles around the room. Walking like this, he looked like some great thinker that he was not. So when nothing else came to his head, he went outside to get some fresh air. He also stayed there again for a few minutes, and after thinking about everything again, he closed the police station and headed towards his mother's house. 

The only thing left for him in this situation was to wait for the explanation of the only clue he had, which was the strange dots on Mr. Huang's apple. If he had counted correctly, his assistant should be back by an evening at the latest, but he knew there might be some delays, so he did not count the time to the hour. He did not know what the doctor had written on the letter, so he was not sure how things would turn out.

When he got to the farm and entered the property, he stopped. From what he could see, the sun was still low, so at the last moment, he decided not to wake mom. He chose that during this time he would arrange some matters in front of the building. 

He chopped up a tree, fed the hens, and picked up the laundry that had been hung out for the night. Whenever he helped his mother in the past, the elders looked at him askance. Not so much for the help itself, but for collecting, for example, laundry, which was not befitting him like a man. But when he became commissioner, all eyes disappeared and he was able to help in any matter.

"Jeno, sunshine! You could have left this to me! You're probably tired" the woman who had just stepped out onto the porch exclaimed when she heard a noise in the yard. Hearing this, the son turned to the woman and gave her a sad smile.

"Mom, take it easy. The case has only just begun. I'm standing at the point for now, and any help will be useful to you, so while I can, let me help you" he said calmly, approaching her with a bowl of laundry. 

After that, they entered the house together, and there Jeno put away his clothes and went to the kitchen. He sat down at the table, and seeing the cake, he immediately picked up a piece. The woman, seeing this, hit him with a rag.

"Wash your hands first, would you?!" she said reproachfully, but she couldn't be angry. Jeno, having a mouth full of sweetness, smiled under his breath. After a while, however, his expression fell again when he noticed that the cake he was eating was apple pie. 

Apples. Now they will probably haunt him everywhere.

"Son" the woman said. Jeno looked up at her and, putting in another piece, he nodded for her to continue. 

"You're doing well?" she asked. 

Hearing that, the boy frowned at the very beginning, but, realizing what the woman was beating at, shrugged his shoulders. He did not want to say that it did not bother him. Pah! He would lie, but he did not want the truth to come out by accident. Hence, after a moment's thought, he replied.

"Mom. Such work, you have to live on. The only thing that matters now is to find the cause of it all"

"Yes, yes, I know sunshine, but you know..."

"Mom" the boy said coolly. He did not want to talk to her that way, but he had to end the topic. It was enough that he had to do it professionally.

"All right, I will stop" the resigned woman said, getting up from the seat. After that, she headed for her bedroom, presumably to change from her pajamas. 

Jeno cleaned up after himself and then swept the floor. After that, looking for some purpose to work, he went back to the yard. There he looked around. His gaze caught the dog walking among the nearby trees. He frowned at this, unable to know who it belonged to. But he decided it was a small thing, and it was probably some vagabond. 

After that, noting the shovel and the cuttings, he sighed heavily and decided to do the long-awaited work. Time passed faster during it. He was busy digging up the ground and finding a good place for new plants. Even though he started them early in the morning, before he looked back, his mother called him to dinner. So he ate his meal quickly and went back to work. As the sun sank to the ground, he threw the shovel back and looked proudly at the work he had done. He could feel his feet falling slightly, but that was not surprising. He worked tirelessly for most of the day. He knew, however, that he was not a laborer and had to return to the police station in the evening to be ready for any news from the assistant. So he groomed himself, took the fruit with him as a snack, and, having said goodbye to his mother, went back to his rightful place of work.

As he walked down the road, he listened to the trees rustling in the wind, and the candles slowly light up in the houses. The same thing awaited him. In any case, it was a miracle that his house did not burn overnight under the influence of the fire that smoldered from the wick on the wax figure, which he did not blow away due to fatigue. 

Now he felt a bit exhausted but somehow calmer than the day before. Maybe it is a matter of emotions? Most likely. Anyway, it always is, has been, and will always be. All because Jeno took every matter to heart. Even if it concerned the loss of a potato bucket, all his efforts and concentration went only towards finding a solution. It was no different at this point. Another aspect was that now having nothing, he had to do something to keep himself from going crazy. After all, he was also human.

When he saw the police station nearby, he smiled slightly. He entered the property and then trailed his feet up the stairs. But as he made his way through the steps, he decided to look up, and when he noticed something pinned to the door, his steps picked up speed. Frowning, he reached for the note pinned to the door and, tearing it away, began to read. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. Realizing the contents of the letter, he ran back downstairs in a flash and leaped to the building where the doctor was. One of the advantages of the location of the police station was, among other things, the short distance to a doctor. 

When he got there, he quickly knocked three times on the door and waited for an answer. He stood out of breath outside the house, recalculating each word, reading it again. After a few seconds, he heard the sound of a door opening, and as soon as he saw Lee Donghyuck's face without even saying hello, he began to speak with emotion.

"Mark was accused of wanting to poison one of the citizens in the city!" the commissioner shouted. At these words, the doctor's eyes grew large. He quickly returned to the room and Jeno followed him without waiting for permission.

"When did they put it on? Are they writing something more?" he asked, changing into his official clothes and looking for the most necessary things.

"No, but doctor, what, why?! What was in that apple?" Jeno said bitterly. 

The sight of a well-known man in prison flashed before his eyes. On the other hand, he was afraid that he would be brought to trial, as he was a policeman's assistant, and they kept such policemen under their supervision.

"If something like that has been done, it means that my assumptions were correct. But how did they accuse him of poisoning?" the doctor said to himself, ignoring the man. After this time with Jeno, he left the house and went to the place where he kept his horses.

"The doctor will answer me? I don't want to lose such a midfielder at the start!" said the commissioner, eager for an answer.

"Arsenic" the doctor replied, turning to him and giving him a cool look.

"If we do it, we'll be there before sunrise. I have no idea what he could have done, but as he had my letter of recommendation, it should all be fine. Apparently, it did not go" he said, and seeing the boy sticking out further, he added quickly. 

"Get on another and let us ride the multitude unless you want to lose your helper"

"Alright!" Jeno replied, and as soon as he was ready they left. 

The commissioner knew they would rather get their man out of trouble without losing his head, but another thing began to rumble in his head. Where on earth did Huang Renjun find arsenic on the fruit?


	4. victim

Dr. Donghyuck and Commissioner Jeno rushed to the limit of their horses' legs. The adrenaline buzzing in their veins from sudden events resulted in a temporary lack of fatigue. They both rode in silence. Even so, their thoughts were in agreement. Both the doctor and the law enforcement officer wondered how the helper had been mysteriously arrested. Before they could come up with something specific, however, they reached the city limits perfectly before dawn. Even though the time passed for them was long, it was not enough to find the right way of thinking. 

Without thinking, they headed towards the main police station. It was there that Jeno gained practice in his profession, and also received his helper, whom he had to save at that moment. 

When he found out about Mark on that memorable day, from the outside he looked as if it had not moved him. Inside, however, he jumped with joy. For what could be better than a soul mate to work as hard as being a commissioner? 

Hence, the boy, jumping off his horse and pointing his legs towards the building, tried to think only positively, as if no letter had reached him. When he passed the door, he saw a policeman guarding the entrance. He greeted him briefly, and after explaining what they had arrived about, the man informed them that the chairman would be there in about 3 hours. At this, the black-haired man nodded and with a gesture of his hand invited the doctor to follow him. 

They walked a bit of the corridor, and when Jeno reached door 23, nostalgia hit him. It was the room in which he lived during his education. It was almost empty now but still belonged to him. As they both entered, Jeno sat down in the chair and spoke to Donghyuck.

"As you heard, we have 3 hours of sleep. Take a nap on the bed while I'm on the chair. Somehow I will survive, and again, if it goes well, we will get away until the day after tomorrow" 

After this statement, one could hear Donghyuck sigh, who was also aware of the circumstances of the situation. He said goodbye and went to sleep as requested. 

Time passed differently for both of them. The doctor, as a man experienced by life, woke up perfectly after the allotted time, practically in the same state as he went to bed. Jeno looked and felt like a herd of cows ran over him. Additionally, despite his short sleep, the memories of the body of the dead Renjun flooded back into his mind. It was neither pleasant nor happy. 

When the gentlemen heard slowly appearing sounds of footsteps in the corridor, they left the room. Moving to the hall, they saw a slowly awakening reality at the police station. Most of the commissioners who were there were walking on the run. One lady was carrying a tray with glasses of water, and another gentleman was hanging up fresh missing person notices. Someone else was running, candle in hand, to the rooms next door, most likely to turn on other lights. The building was boiling. 

Jeno did not waste a moment, however, started scanning people to find the chairman. When he did so after a while, he grabbed the sleeve of Donghyuck's jacket and headed for the man. Being close enough, Jeno bowed, introduced himself, and then the doctor.

"You came later than I thought, Jeno. You know, I thought you would come yesterday but that's okay. The case will end in several dozen hours because the son of the bank's chief administrator turned out to be the would-be victim" said the chairman. 

It was Jung Jaehyun, a man-made of ice. No one had ever seen him smile, and he had a hard time showing affection. Jeno was one of two people who could experience this. The other was his wife, with whom he had a child, but the child did not live long, thus destroying Jaehyun's plans to form an heir. Whether it was a miracle or not, Jeno resembled his deceased son, and the chairman involuntarily placed his hopes on him about the future of the police station.

"But, Commissioner! This is a misunderstanding! I made it clear in my letter what the purpose of the study is and what content I suspect" Donghyuck said indignantly. Jaehyun frowned at this.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but please follow me because the corridor is not a very good place to talk" he muttered and left without waiting for anyone. After a few seconds, the guests followed him towards the chairman's office. As they walked, the black-haired man felt a ticking clock on his back. He knew it was a misunderstanding, but he was also well aware that they needed time, and he was running out of time.

He had the pleasure of being in the room they reached many times because of his achievements, the number of which he did not complain about. When the three of them were seated at the desk, Jaehyun spoke again.

"As I mentioned, the case will most likely be over any day now. Mr. assistant's would-be victim was the son of the bank's chief administrator, Zhong Chenle. For this reason, I think Mr. Zhong will not let this go, and if we are unlucky Mark might even get the death penalty"

There was an awful silence in the room. Jeno tried to process the chairman's words. Donghyuck, on the other hand, was empty in his mind.

"Mr.Jung, how did this misunderstanding come about?" the doctor asked because they both did not know what had happened to get Mark to be charged.

"Misunderstanding? I'm sorry. According to witnesses, Mark Lee entered the hospital in the morning. There he went with the package to the reception desk. He put the poisoned fruit, or more precisely the apple, on the counter and waited for his victim. It was then that Zhong Chenle appeared, in whose mouth an object was placed. If not for the quick reaction of the receptionist who noticed arsenic, it could have ended tragically. The midfielder appeared during the arrest, but his testimony has nothing to do with the case" Jaehyun said briefly. 

Jeno, hearing that, rubbed his face with his hand. Is he not dreaming or has his partner acted so thoughtlessly?

"What about that Zhong Chenle's testimony"? the doctor asked, not believing in the absurdity of the situation.

“He said it wasn't his fault, but it was a question of character rather than an actual fault. As far as we know, the men knew each other before, so the decision of Mr. Zhong is more taken into account"

"But since the victim, himself tries to testify..."

"If you don't have any more questions, please leave" Jaehyun said sternly. The men, seeing that nothing would be restored here, left the room, and then the building. 

They moved quickly towards the apartment of the would-be victim, Zhong Chenle. From what Jeno had learned, the doctor knew the boy from when they were smaller. They were not close friends, but they were on good terms. They wanted to discuss with him the details of the incident that the chairman probably missed and ask for help in avoiding Mark's punishment. 

When they reached the door they knocked hard on it. After a dozen or so seconds they opened and a man about thirty appeared to their eyes.

"Donghyuck? What are you doing here? It's been a long time" Chenle replied, seeing the old acquaintance. The doctor, however, smiled faintly.

"It is a pity that our first meeting in so long must have such circumstances" he said.

Chenle frowned, but noticing Jeno and combining facts from previous days, he came to the likely reason for the visit. So he invited them to a small table where he offered water or juice, and they both thanked him. After that, he joined them and spoke.

"Is this about the hospital case?" he asked.

"That's it! Chenle, you know this is a misunderstanding, right?" Donghyuck said hopefully. Chenle nodded.

"I know, it's even my fault, but they refuse to accept it, especially my father, who still keeps me on the rope" he said with a sigh.

"How do you see it?" Jeno asked. 

After that, he additionally took off his cap and, shaking his hand, added. 

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself from all this. Lee Jeno, commissioner from the village where Donghyuck also works"

"Nice to meet you, Jeno. As you know, I am Zhong Chenle, my father's dog. Literally dog. In theory, my life is like a fairy tale because my dad thinks I'm useless, but it hurts to know. As for the request, sure!" he replied, and then for a few more minutes, his voice filled the room.


	5. disappointment

As night fell in town, midfielder Mark was crossing its borders. He rushed as much as the horse allowed him to return the fruit for research on the same day. Even though he was a year older than the commissioner, he felt like a whipster who makes bolder and bolder steps in their career. After all, if he works well, he will most likely get an assignment in one of the nearby villages in 3 years, although he did not hide that he would like the most in the one he came from.

He dismounted and, taking the leather bag, headed for the hospital. There, crossing the entrances, he picked up the kerosene lamp that was at the entrance and went to the desk where the assistant was sitting. Seeing his face, she asked him to wait. At that, Mark nodded and pulled the apple out onto the table. As he waited, he looked around the corridor. At one point, his eyes fell on the familiar face of Zhong Chenle. They had known each other before due to the boy's father's original plans to make his son become commissioner. It was then that he met Mark who having such aspirations, was to be an inspiration for his son. Ultimately, however, he gave up on this plan but introduced them to them anyway. The blonde, seeing the slim face of the assistant commissioner, smiled and walked over to the desk.

"What are you here all alone after the night, huh?" asked the younger one.

“Chenle, you know I have no slack as a midfielder. Besides, it was not very interesting lately" he replied sarcastically. 

He could not quite tell a man like Chenle about the event. There was nothing certain about it, and a man's talkative mouth would only make matters worse. The latter rolled his eyes, and after a while, his gaze fell on the tabletop.

"And what do we have? Apple? And you won't share with me?" Chenle said in mock sadness, and then before Mark could react, he took the object in his hand. The elder's face took over fear. Knowing what the threat was, he tried at all costs to snatch the fruit from the hands of an unaware man. His efforts were for nothing, however, as the other saw nothing wrong with that and teased the helper.

"Chenle, give it back!" Mark asked in a pleading voice, waving his hands.

"Why? I want to eat it!" he replied.

"Look, it's not mine! This is evidence on..."

"How not yours, how yours?" he asked ironically, not letting the boy finish his sentence.

"This is evidence in the case of..."

"What is going on here?!" the voice sounded in both men's ears. The gentleman with dark brown hair headed towards them. Mark, seeing him, bowed. However, he, nodding his head, spoke to Chenle.

"What the hell are you doing again?! You are already so old, I still do not know what to do with you, and you still have some fun…" Mr. Zhong, Chenle's father, broke off in the middle of the sentence because it was he who broke into the commotion. He did not finish speaking because his eyes fell on the fruit Chenle was holding. His hand unknowingly wandered to the apple. 

The silence in the room was almost terrifying. It was so loud Mark felt as if it were going to burst his eardrums. But when he realized what had happened, he wanted to disappear, move, run away. But he could not even flinch, and his voice caught in his throat.

"Who did you get it from?" Mr. Zhong asked his son. His eyesight was cold and his voice firm. Chenle did not know what was happening, and, answering partially truthfully, started the machine that he would soon stop himself.

"From Mark" when these words were spoken, suddenly the assistant commissioner regained his senses and began to pour out steaks of incomprehensible sounds. After a while, however, one could hear Mr. Zhong scream, which was supposed to silence him.

"I didn't expect that from you, Mark" are the only words Father Chenle chose to say. After that, he clicked twice, and after a while, another man with a kerosene lamp appeared next to them, and together with the terrified helper, they headed for the exit. The blonde did not understand the situation completely.

"What just happened? Why did Mark look like he was about to pass out?" 

Questions like this rumbled in Chenle's mind, wanting to know what had just happened before his eyes. To do so, he was about to leave the building, but his eyes noticed the document Mark had left on the desk. Zhong, seeing him, without thinking much, seized him in his hands, not even knowing how he changed the course of the fate that was to be offered to the assistant commissioner.


	6. it is never too late to grow up

"Chenle goddamn it! I like you dude, but a 30-year-old fucking man plays banter?!" Donghyuck said furiously after hearing the whole story.

"Doctor. This is not a good time for a lecture" Jeno said, trying to calm the man down. Hearing that, he snorted, crossed one leg over the other, and was already sitting quietly. 

Chenle felt remorse for this. He knew that if it were not for his behavior, there would be no misunderstanding. Sitting there, he wondered where his life was going, since he could not even ride a horse, and he was always far from learning. But then Commissioner Jeno appeared next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. I have seen so many situations and everyone makes mistakes. From what you said, you managed to pick up an important piece of the case, Donghyuck's letter related to the research, right?" he asked. Hearing this, Chenle nodded slightly, then stood up and headed deeper into the house to find the document in question.

When he returned with it to the room, he walked closer to the men and placed it on the table. Jeno took it and smiled sincerely. After the story and the fact that the documentary was with them, he believed that the situation was not that dramatic and that it had resolved itself. The only thing left for them is that they did not take his assistant deep into the country to judge him there. However, knowing the realities of recent times, he knew that everything was happening in slow motion, that is, for their benefit.

"Okay. Donghyuck, I think our best option is if you go to the police station with this. I will go with you, but you present the case, after all, it's your letter" said Jeno. The doctor's eyes widened at that.

"I?! This chairman will eat me. I can talk to the superiors in the hospital or to the doctors who came from abroad, but take him out of my sight!" the agitated man replied.

"So what, should I go? I am not assigned to this case and I am drawn to it because he is my helper. Anyway, I did not report the case with Huang because of all this and there will be a clue immediately that I sent Mark with this fruit!" Jeno hit the baton.

"What, me better? After all, it was me who declared him dead. It will work for him. Anyway, they know that I know him, so there will be an immediate summons that I am murdering people" Donghyuck let out words faster than a machine gun.

"But you are only a doctor, and I am responsible for order in the village! Imagine if they suddenly pull the strings and suddenly accuse me of killing Huang and what else. I don't know! I poisoned the chickens just to eat them for dinner" at the end, they could hear Jeno's laugh at his own words.

"I'll go" 

The men looked at Chenle, who spoke the words. He looked anxious but serious for him.

"As if I am the victim, witness, and finder of this document. Besides, my dad brought the prosecution, and he sets all these... cases. It's my fault and I don't think I have anything to lose, only my dad will disinherit me and I don't know. He will send me somewhere so that I can live alone" he laughed bitterly at the end. 

He realized that his life was a dream for many but not for him. The awareness of aimlessly doing not make him proud and the fact that he had everything under his breath was strangely painful. Besides, Donghyuck was right. It was he who led to the situation, so he had to unscrew it.

"You're finally saying with a sense" the doctor said, then stood up and smiled and hugged his friend. Jeno did not say anything when he saw it. On the one hand, he did not want to destroy the scene, on the other hand, he would simply not know what to say.

So the two men left the house after finishing the conversation, intending to wait for the situation to develop when Chenle ran out of the building.

"They are not in town anymore!" he shouted.

"But who?" Jeno asked.

"My father and Mark. They left in the morning and my carriage will not be ready for more than two hours"

"Ride your horse yourself" Donghyuck replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I can't! You have to take me! Otherwise, it will all be wasted" Chenle replied. Jeno then, without waiting long, ran to his horse and led him to the building.

"Donghyuck if you want, come with us. If not, stay" he replied shortly, propelled Chenle, and then, getting on his horse, set off. The doctor, seeing this, snorted lightly, then after a while, he sat down alone and followed the two men.


	7. chance

The commissar smiled inwardly as he drove that they had decided not to wait until dawn to depart for the city. If they had not arrived this early, they would not have known what the situation was, and worse, that his assistant was no longer there. In this way, when the sun was going down west, they kept on racing to make it. He silently cursed the range of possibilities Mr. Zhong could use. Though he had his years, he continued to live his life to the full, and not as feeling that his son would not be of much use to him, he used it twice. So the whole journey was filled with Jeno's deep regrets for the world and himself. Besides, the doctor's thoughts were similar.

Except he cursed his friend and how clumsy he is. Besides, he hoped that Mark, despite his weaknesses, would not break or give in to pressure. He did not want to say it out loud, but he cared a bit about the sensitive, future commissioner. Additionally, the midfielder had an oddly imagined sense of justice and insecurity. When someone from "another league" imposed a certain version of events on him, he succumbed to it. So there was also the possibility that Mark at some point, not wanting to fight anymore, would come to terms with his fate, hoping that it would be better for the world.

Chenle's head, however, was full of questions about how to talk to his father. He did not want to miss his chance. He wanted to explain everything, and additionally show the parent that he is not so talented and that he can learn something. The guilt was eating him up inside. He did not want to say it out loud, but the repressing of the fact that he was these years old to him each time did not help him get up. He wanted to find a solution, but it was difficult for him.

Their thoughts were interrupted, however, by the fact that after quite a long journey they were finally approaching the outskirts of the city. Noticing this, Zhong swallowed, knowing that the inevitable conversation was getting closer and closer. With the day drawing to a close, they had to hurry to find their destination - Father Chenle. Knowing his father, Zhong asked them to visit one of the best hotels in the country. According to the explanations, the man always slept in that place, being enchanted by the decor. So they went inside and then went to the desk where the well-known Chenle hotel manager Jisung was sitting.

"Chenle! Long time no see! Your father must be concerned that you are not with him" he greeted happily, not realizing how wrong he was.

"Jisung, nice to see you too. Please tell me where can I find him?" he asked, seizing an opportunity not to be missed.

"Room 119, but he's not there at the moment. He left somewhere in a hurry, I have no idea where" replied the manager. He did not have time to look up from the documentation, however, when he heard the sound of the door opening, and suddenly Chenle himself was in front of him.

"Thank you! When I have the opportunity, I'll explain everything to you" after that the man ran out on his own, leaving Jisung alone in a daze.

Outside, he stopped by the doctor and the commissioner. Those looking at each other, reading their minds, as it were, decided to go to the main police station. Jeno was about to get on his horse when Chenle interrupted him and ran in a direction he knew only. Knowing the man, Donghyuck trusted him by following him, and Jeno, having no choice, did the same. In this way, thanks to the blonde's knowledge in the city, after a few minutes they were at the building. The darkness surrounding them more and more added to the atmosphere. They entered the room, where Jeno walked ahead, who, in theory, was the best commissioner. However, it turned out wrongly, because the first person noticed was not a man in uniform, but a blonde. Employees began to greet him like a star, and for all kinds of questions, he received answers right away. In this way, they avoided delays, and after a while, fortunately for them, they managed to locate the room in which Chenle's father most likely stayed. Heading towards him, the men walked steadily. There was silence between them until at some point Jeno decided to speak.

"It'll be okay" he said, trying to comfort the man. This one just nodded his head impassively, and when they reached the door, the blond only looked at them, smiled, and after a while, he disappeared behind the door of the room. The doctor and the commissioner, however, only had to wait.


	8. indictment

Chenle's face was pale as he left the room. The commissioner and the doctor did not know how to read his expression. They were afraid that it meant the worst - failure. The latter, however, smiled after a while.

"And how?" Jeno asked, very worried.

"I did it. Mark will be exonerated" he said softly, almost inaudibly. The men rejoiced at this information. The commissar felt like an enormous weight was lifted from his shoulders. But something was wrong.

"Where did that look on your face then?" Donghyuck asked, frowning.

"I'm going to the army" he replied, and looking at the doctor, he could not help but smile even wider. The doctor opened his mouth wide when he heard it. He did not expect such a turn of events.

"I wanted to prove to my dad that I fit for something... and I have. I got a chance. Tomorrow I am supposed to go to an institution. I don't know when I will be back or if I will be back, but to be honest, I'm terrified" he said, and despite his words, he laughed. Public employees, on the other hand, looked at him with concern. Nevertheless, they felt sorry for the boy and felt that he would come back as a completely different person. 

Without saying anything else, the three of them headed towards the exit of the building and then the hotel. There, finding Jisung, Chenle as if on cue, approached him and hugged him without a word, at which he looked surprised at the rest, wanting an explanation. The commissioner and the doctor would not say anything. They decided to go back to the main police station and leave their friends alone. 

Everything looked as if it would be back to normal. Jeno knew perfectly well that it would not be so. Only one problem was solved. Renjun was still dead, and the test results showed a third party involved, complicating the investigation. While waiting in the waiting room, he rubbed his face resignedly. Did it have to go this way? Could he somehow prevent it? He could not answer that. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a boom. After a while, he and the doctor looked to the left, and Mark appeared in their eyes. The man, seeing them, smiled through tears.

"Hi" he said softly, not believing his fate was not sealed after all. He felt as if life had given him a second chance, and yet his dreams of becoming a commissioner could come true. The Doctor, seeing him, got up and walked over to the man, then slapped him on the back of the head.

"Don't cry fucking idiot! Besides, why didn't you defend yourself crybaby?!" he scolded him, but Mark was not angry. He knew that he and the doctor had a strange relationship, and also, his awareness told him that the educated person was worried about him.

"You and your sense of justice. Take it again, and I'll fucking beat you that your horse will not recognize you" added the doctor after a while, at which the commissioner looked in shock. He had not expected Donghyuck to show his concern for the midfielder in this way. So, wanting to break this scene as if out of a drama, he got up and approached both men.

"Nice to see you again, midfielder" he said warmly but seriously, to which Mark saluted him. The men, being complete, were happy with the boy's return. Well, maybe almost.

"Where's Chenle?" the accused asked, but when the men explained the situation to him, he became a bit sad.

"I wanted to thank him" he said to himself, but he knew it was not time to think.

"Commissioner" he said.

"We have to go back to the countryside. I have a report" he said, and Jeno nodded at that. 

The three of them left the police station without a word, even though it was the middle of the night. Suddenly, however, there was a huge uproar in the main corridor. A lot of uniforms were running around with lamps, and the confusion was enormous. Jeno did not know what was going on, but he did not want to bother. One case of Renjun's on his neck was enough for him. Then one of the commissioners ran into him, knocking him to the floor.

"What the hell" said the always calm man. As he rose, he brushed off invisible dust and frowned.

"Be careful" he muttered, and the other commissioner nodded and passed the man without a word. The man shook his head at such disrespect, but he did not want to make an unnecessary fuss by creating a row. He did not have time for that. 

Together with the assistant and the doctor, he left the building, heading towards the famous hotel where their horses were located. When they found it, without waiting a moment, they got on it and went back into the darkness. They knew perfectly well that they would have to make a stop in a smaller town, as the animals might not be able to stand it, so Jeno started talking with the assistant as he was driving.

"Report" he just said, and Mark, sitting behind him, took a deep breath, trying to remember every detail of the conversations he had made.

"On my way to town, I interviewed the eastern part of the village. Most told me little or very rudimentary information. Strangely, however, each of the interviewed persons mentioned that Mr. Huang had recently visited Mr. Na more often than before. I couldn't somehow connect it, but Mr. Na's neighbor used a very accusing tone during her speech and said she saw them together... at night. She said it with great disgust. When asked for more about these meetings, she only said that she hadn't seen them together in over a week. She said it might be good, but it was quite sudden" Mark was saying coherently, and Jeno frowned, remembering the conversation with his interviewees. Everyone mentioned Mr. Na, but no one mentioned that they met regularly. Although, if you think logically, maybe only Mr. Huang visited Mr. Na? Anyway, the Commissioner, hearing about their meeting last night, felt strange. Could the accusations against these two be true? He honestly did not want to believe it.

"What did Mr. Na tell you?" he asked. He lived in the eastern part of the village if he knew it well.

"This is a problem. He said nothing" said Mark. Jeno frowned in consternation.

"What do you mean nothing?" he asked, confused.

"He didn't open the door for me" the helper muttered, and Jeno widened his eyes. 

"I was pounding and he was sitting at home for sure, as if afraid of talking to me. I have no idea why, but it doesn't look good" he concluded shortly. 

Jeno, hearing that, felt as if he was boiling over. He did not want to bring out his own experiences and emotions, but to put it mildly, he did not like Mr. Na. So when he thought about him, about Mr. Huang, and later about the death of the latter, he felt upset.

"I don't know if this is a good way to go, but if we are to move forward, I think I would force Mr. Na to testify" Mark said softly.

"I can not do that. In theory, I can, but I'm in a bad relationship with Mr. Na and I'm afraid it will be emotional on my part” Jeno muttered.

"And I think otherwise" the doctor said suddenly. 

"I hardly agree with the helper, but a third person appeared in the crime. If Mr. Na did not agree to the testimony, it puts him in a very bad light, and you are left with nothing but the last resort, Commissioner" he said, and the Commissioner, hearing this, understood what the doctor was beating for. 

So they rushed on, in silence. Jeno, lost in his thoughts, fought with his emotions and sense of justice. He was not sure if he should force Mr. Na to testify. He believed it was the last resort. Then, however, the sight of Renjun's pale, lifeless face came back to his head, followed by childhood memories. Then suddenly it burst. Even though he did not want to. Even though he was defending himself, he couldn't stop looking at Mr. Na that way. And he decided.

"Mark" he said and the assistant waited for the rest of the command. 

"When we get to the village, we go to Mr. Na. In the act of investigating this moment, I am accusing him of murdering citizen Huang Renjun" he concluded, silence filling their way again, caressing their minds with my thoughts.


	9. red apple

Only a dozen or so hours had passed since the men left the city limits in the interior, and they were already standing that morning at Mr. Na's door. The fog was all around them, and the sun had not even risen properly yet. You could tell that it was not yet good dawn. However, the commissioner was desperate. After the report, he heard from the assistant's mouth, blood boiled in his veins. Could his scores with Mr. Na be evened out? He did not want it to be that way, but he felt he had no other choice. He inhaled one last time and knocked on the wooden door. He counted on the accused's luck and wisdom because he did not want to force him out of the house. His prayers were answered because, after a few seconds, slow footsteps could be heard. And it came. Mr. Na and Mr. Lee, facing each other, gave each other glances that could not be described with words.

"Good morning, Mr. Na. I expect you to know the reason for our visit" he said calmly, adding the plural to alert him to Mark's presence. In this way, he wanted to avoid unnecessary reproof in the future.

"Good morning, Commissioner. Ah, I get it. I am sorry, but I cannot guess the reason for your visit" he replied with a slight mockery in his voice. Jeno sensed that the farmer was going to upset him, but when he heard the reply, he felt that he could withstand the taunts until they touched on one topic or rather one person.

"Therefore, under the law given to me, based on the collected testimony and evidence, I pre-charge Mr. Na Jaemin as the killer of Mr. Huang Renjun, a resident of our village, and arrest him until further notice" Jeno's statement put the whole meeting into a serious atmosphere. Mr. Na, hearing this text, sighed heavily, clearly feeling uncomfortable in the situation.

"What do you think, Commissioner? It probably has to do with the lack of my testimony, right?" he asked initially, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Your dislike of them was taken into account when making the decision" Jeno replied calmly and asked Mark with his hand to finish. Seeing the mute sign, the latter took a step closer to the gentlemen.

“Well, the day Mr. Huang died, I knocked on your door but got no answer from you. Additionally, you were at home, so you avoided civic activities"

When he finished speaking, he took a step back. The farmer smiled to himself.

"You are a rogue, helper, huh? Soon you will indeed be a Commissioner like Jeno" said Mr. Na sarcastically, but the Commissioner did not even blink at those words.

"Now put out any lamps and candles. You will come with us to my police station" he said shortly.

The farmer nodded, then returned to his home for a moment. After a few moments, he was walking with the commissioner and his assistant at his side towards the police station. They walked along the main road and from there they reached the building around dawn, which was longer than expected. After all three had entered, Jeno took off his coat and hung it on the rack. He set up an extra chair on the other side of the table and, after preparing a few sheets of paper and writing utensils, invited Mr. Na to sit down. He obediently did so and smiled slyly.

"So what's up, Jeno? Are you okay?" he asked in a cute voice.

"Fucking awesome, you know?" the officer muttered, and Mark, hearing a statement so inconsistent with the image in his eyes, made him choke on water.

"My old friend's back, hmm? Glad to hear it" the farmer smiled happily.

"Stop fucking talking because you get on my nerves" he said, chilling him. 

"Exactly four days ago, less than a few minutes before sunset, citizen Huang Renjun, a famous fruit grower in the village, was found dead. As the circumstantial evidence showed, he was poisoned, therefore a third party was involved. According to the testimony of side members, you have seen the victim very often in the past, sometimes overnight, but recently you stopped doing that" he finished his statement.

"What a crap! I literally feel like I was listening about someone left dung in the middle of the village and not cleaning up" Jaemin laughed. 

However, it did not make any impression on Jeno, only increased the level of his blank gaze directed at Mr. Na. The farmer, seeing this, sighed heavily. After that, however, he bent down and, resting his elbows on the table, smiled even wider, looking at Jeno.

"Someone not in the mood, hmm?" he muttered once again. The commissioner, however, continued to remain silent, not breaking himself. In the background, the assistant, watching everything with a paper in his hand, swallowed loudly, trying to understand the strange relationship between the two men.

"I see we're not going to play today" the farmer sighed.

"If you're finished, we'll begin your interrogation. Maybe we'll start from the beginning. How did you meet Citizen Huang Renjun?" Jeno asked, beckoning Mark to start writing. Noticing the sign, he began to move his hand, pouring the letters onto the paper. The farmer, hearing the question, made a kiss with his lips.

"Oh my! I will mention this moment for the first time. Anyway, he was my green apple..."

"Could you get to the point, Jaemin?" Jeno interrupted him, not wanting to be upset.

"Ah, right! He was a red..."

"Don't you dare to call him that" the commissioner suddenly strained through his teeth, and the farmer whistled at the sight.

"Someone is nervous here, hahaha. That's what Jeno is, right or a lie?" Mr. Na asked mysteriously and Jeno sighed.

"Jaemin, please stop. You know perfectly well how it turned out. You were, I was. You were, I wasn't. The end" said Jeno calmer, at every second he smiled sadly.

"I sincerely thank God for your scribble that I would not have heard if it were not for your weak head. You did not change at all. It's a pity because I remember how you looked like that..." and his words were interrupted, when suddenly the commissioner stood up and, grabbing him by his clothes, lifted him from the chair, bringing him so close that they almost touched noses.

"Don't turn red like my tomatoes in my backyard, buddy" he said, looking into Jeno's enraged eyes.

"Seriously, if you mention something again about our childhood, I'll kill you" the commissioner whispered, not wanting Mark to hear them. But seeing everything, the lower one felt as if he saw another person. Not his quiet commissar.

"One move, you'll get a sentence. You'll lose your job and learn nothing, and I" he took a short pause to point his finger at himself. "I'm not gonna lose anything. So let me go" Jaemin said quietly in a whisper, his face expressionless. Lee gasped in silence for a moment at that. After that, however, he put the accused, who smiled back and sat down in his seat.

"You scared me, Jeno, but thank you for having a good heart" Jaemin said and breathed a sigh of relief with theatrical grace.

"Could you talk now, please?" asked the tired commissioner, and the farmer, seeing the growing hidden murder of a public worker, smiled, but this time sadly. Then he turned to the assistant.

"Now you can seriously write Mark" he replied, finally winking at him and turning back to Jeno. He looked at him one last time, then looked down at his hands and filled the room with his voice.


	10. love

It was a beautiful summer. The buds bloomed and the fruit ripened, thus giving people a reason to rejoice. One such person was Huang Renjun, who, being a fruit grower, was overjoyed to see each of the children of nature. However, he did not want to leave this happiness only to himself. Whenever he picked up all the fruits for a given day, he would go around the village with the basket and hand out delicious apples or pears. Everyone was grateful for his memory. In return, he often received preserves made from these crops.

And so it was that day too. Renjun, famous for its beautiful green and red apples, collected all the ripe specimens in a basket and began his wandering through the countryside. He remembered, however, that he had visited his neighbors on the previous day, hence his goal was the further part of the town, less frequented by him. With fruit on hand, he walked past the commissioner, greeting him and smiling sincerely, even though he knew the other would not reciprocate it for some reason unknown to him. He walked past Mrs. Kim's house and then not far from Mrs. Park's small mansion. His feet walked by themselves towards a small grove through which a little-known path leading to the houses to the east passed. There was, among others, the building was inhabited by Dr. Donghyuck, so it was an important branch of the village after all. Unfortunately, people unfamiliar with the path had to walk all the way around, so the transition from one end to the other took a little more than an hour on foot.

Huang, however, did not complain. He listened to the chirping of birds, the sound of the wind, or the sound of a nearby stream. He felt like a fish in water, and his recent change in view of the world made him appreciate nature even more than before, even though it was deep in his heart.

He did not even look back, and his legs stood in front of many of the buildings he had visited and lavished upon. The housewives showered him with praise, the young ones thanked him for the snacks, and the doctor shared information about the nutritional properties of these fruits.

But when he was about to go back, his gaze fell on Mr. Na's house, which he always somehow avoided by his eyes. It was not in the center or on the sidelines. Nevertheless, it always somehow eluded the fruit grower. This time, however, the man decided to visit the farmer. He went to the door, knocked three times, and when that wooden surface moved, he took off his hat and smiled sincerely.

"Hello, Mr. Na! I have come to you to give you a portion of my harvest because the apples have grown beautifully" he said happily. Jaemin, seeing who had visited him, was deeply surprised. Hearing what was said, he also let a smile on his face and flung open the door.

"Hello, Mr. Huang. I'm glad you visited me. Thank you for the gift, I will gladly accept it. Would you be tempted to have a glass of milk or water?" he asked, even though he did not have much to offer. Planter, hearing the proposal, raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, but after a while, he nodded his head eagerly and then stepped into the doorway into the house.

The hut was not big. The modest building housed perhaps a few rooms, and its interior did not impress. However, by the standards of the village, it was relatively well-kept and additionally separated from the cowshed, which gave it style. Fortunately, the barn itself was not large since Mr. Na focused on growing plants, which made things easier.

“You have a nice place here” Huang admitted, seeing a small wooden table set in the middle of a small kitchen if you could call it that. The fact was, however, that the gardener's words had nothing to do with reality, for the room seemed empty. There were a beating silence and nothingness in it, and the dust billowing in the corners rather indicated the lack of guests recently.

“You don't have to lie, Mr. Huang, you really do” replied the farmer, smiling mischievously.

"Believe me!" Renjun said.

"So be it" Jaemin replied, inviting his neighbor to the table with his hand. Then, as suggested, he offered both the first and the second, but Huang chose the milk, knowing that Mr. Na's cow was the few he owned, and the man truly loved it. After the farmer had two vessels filled with a drink, he also sat down and handed one to his neighbor. The latter nodded slightly and, thanking him beforehand, took the first sip.

"So what brings the neighbor to me?" he asked warmly, curious about the reason for the man's coming.

"Ah, let me tell you that I don't know. My feet brought me here. Does it bother you?" he asked concerned.

"No, no" he answered truthfully.

"I will tell you that I have no visitors, so every visit is worth its weight in gold for me" he added after a moment.

"Sorry to hear that, Mr. Na" Renjun said sadly. 

"But I can change it! If you don't mind, I'll see you more often"

"Would be very nice, Mr. Huang. I would love to get to know you better" he replied. Both, seeing the interest of both sides, started talking first on light topics and then on more expressive ones. Jaemin did not spare himself words of praise for Renjun's orchard, and the gardener did not limit himself to telling about his vegetables, which many in the village praised, and although he never had a chance to try them, he believed they were delicious.

"But that's nonsense. As soon as the next harvest comes in, I'll bring you a basket of vegetables" Jaemin said after the man's confession.

"But you don't have to! I don't want to bother you" Huang sighed.

"It's not a problem for me. You walk around the village with apples, anyway" he remarked aptly, which made Renjun laugh.

"Yes, but I feel weird about someone coming to see me" he replied honestly.

"Then you'll have to get used to it" muttered Mr. Na, to which they both laughed slightly.

"Ah, I understand. But I'm afraid that if you leave your wife alone like this, she'll be sad" Renjun said, worried.

"And do you see her here?" he asked sadly, and Huang lowered his head slightly.

"Unfortunately Mr. Huang, beautiful Yuqi is my wife, but she doesn't mind when I am lonely” he replied to himself.

"It means?" Jeno asked, interrupting Jaemin's story. He sighed a little and, looking at the window, answered shortly and bluntly.

"She cheated on me and continues to cheat with some city guy. I found out about this much later than when I first started my acquaintance with Mr. Huang. Anyway, I will talk about it later" he explained

"Oh" that's what the Commissioner managed to say. 

"Forgive me then, you can continue" 

At these words, Jaemin closed his eyes slowly and, feeling into the atmosphere, began his story again.

Jaemin and Renjun talked for quite a long time. They went through short gossip about neighbors, tips for plant breeding, and goals for the future. At one point, however, the subject shifted to the love concept on Renjun's part. Feeling a sudden flow of emotions, the man began his monologue on what he considered to be love, and when he had finished, Mr. Na looked at him speechless.

"If I may ask, who gave you that definition?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I have a good cousin who helped me a lot in my life and some time ago he told me about a country whose name I do not remember, where people live differently. Life is different, more beautiful, and the definition of love as the beautiful one, the only one, beats everywhere, hence I believe in it" replied Renjun truthfully.

"So I understand that you would like to find such a beautiful, great love?" Jaemin asked, and Huang nodded vigorously.

"I want someone I love to do the same for me. That we would be devoted to each other, trust each other, and spend our time. I would like to be able to give this person everything I love and want. However, I do not care about the touch, but the spiritual zone. That this persona would understand and value me" said dreamily Renjun.

At the memory, the farmer looked down and smiled sadly. His fingers played with a piece of his blouse, and his mouth did not open for a long moment.

"If I may ask, what happened that makes you silent?" the commissioner asked, and Jaemin looked at him dejectedly.

"Because you see Jeno. It was me who turned out to be this great love" he replied, and then both suddenly stopped for a moment, but for very different reasons.


	11. wife

Renjun has often visited his neighbor since his first conversation with Jaemin. In the evenings, when all the fruits were picked and the weather was favorable, he tried to meet him as often as possible. He felt that the man understood him and was making a friend in him. Even though the summer was tough and both of them had their hands full of work, each of them was smiling and enjoying life. Whether it is a walk in the forest, planting plants together, or cleaning up. Nothing stood against them. Once upon a time, Mr. Na himself came to Huang. The latter, seeing him, was overjoyed.

"I didn't think I'd meet you today" he said happily.

"You see, I am Mr. Huang" he muttered, smiling. 

His wife appeared at home less and less, and he felt more and more depressed with this fact. He did not know where he had made a mistake, but the time spent with the grower busily repelled his unpleasant thoughts. He felt their friendship would blossom strongly.

"I don't know if I'll have time for you, Mr. Na" Renjun replied truthfully.

"And why should you not have it, hmm?" the farmer asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Apple trees and pear trees have grown beautifully in the last week. I have to pick up all the apples and pears and then give them around my neighbors because they can go bad, and I don't want to" he replied, sadly depressed by the vision of wasted fruits.

"A blessing in disguise, huh?" Jaemin summed up, and Renjun nodded his head. 

"So there is no need to wait! You do not know how much I have always wanted to help you" said the fair-haired man, and Huang, at first surprised hearing it, immediately followed Mr. Na.

They took the ladder and the baskets and then went together to collect the beautiful gifts of nature. Some trees were heavier than others, but it had to be admitted that Renjun's devotion was visible to the naked eye. Every tree, bush, everything was well taken care of. The plants themselves looked as if they were enjoying the sight of the gardener and the fact that he had come to water or trim them. Even though the man was not in the habit of talking to the trees, it seemed as if he would get along perfectly with them. Jaemin and Renjun were smiling all the time in the silence. The only thing that accompanied them was the sound of the wind and the chirping of birds. They felt even more connected, and words were unnecessary. At one point, Mr. Huang dropped a green apple on Jaemin's head instead of in the basket. Terrified, he quickly ran down the ladder and approached the man holding his head.

"Are you okay, Mr. Na?" he asked concerned. The fruit could be tough, especially its green apples, which were famous for their flavor and juiciness.

"Yes, Mr. Huang" he muttered softly, looking at the green apple that hit his skull.

"Don't lie, please. I'm sorry, I could have hit more accurately" he said sadly, crouching down to be level with the seated Jaemin.

"I'm not lying, really" he replied, looking at Renjun and smiling. 

"Can I call you the green apple?" he asked.

Huang raised an eyebrow at the question but also smiled back.

"Of course, but why?" he asked.

"Because somehow within these few days I noticed that you are like that green apple. So cute, but at the same time, it can punch me really hard" he laughed, and Renjun gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"You one potato!" he said jokingly.

"You love vegetables from my garden, leave me alone" he replied, standing up and running away from Huang, who after a while started chasing him. The men ran and did not care about anything. They simply enjoyed the circumstances given to them.

With time, however, after many such meetings, Mr. Na began to feel that something unexpected was forming in his heart. As he began to realize it, whenever Huang was out of sight, he thought deeply. After all, he knew he had a wife, so why? How did he let this happen? He blamed himself and worried that one day he would break poor Yuqi's heart. Unfortunately, the truth turned out to be more bitter than he had imagined.

In late fall, when Jaemin was already deeply in friendship with the man, and they called themselves by their first names, the farmer's wife was not returning for the third day from her cousin from the city. The gardener was worried but thought the woman most likely needed it. After all, there were not many ladies her age here in the countryside. Finally, on the fourth day in the morning, she returned home, and the farmer working in the garden was overjoyed when he noticed this.

"Sunshine! Haven't seen you for so long!" he said, hugging the woman, but she seemed absent. The man, feeling it, moved away from her and brushed the hair away from her face.

"What happened honey?" he asked with concern. But Yuqi could not meet his eyes. She stared at the floor, playing with her skirt.

"Nothing Jaemin, just... has changed a little in my life" she said shortly, and then looked at him with tears full of eyes.

"Yuqi, what happened? What changed?" the farmer asked, and he caught her face in his hands, but she gently pushed his hands away.

"Jaemin, I... I can't. I know that this village is something you love, but I can't live here anymore and... somehow it turned out that I stopped having... this feeling for you" she said, sobbing. The farmer, hearing these words, heard the sound of his own heart in the back of his head. Broken. Crumbling.

"But how?" he asked sadly. Although he liked Renjun, he loved his wife and had a sincere affection for her. Was it truly going to end this way?

"I'm sorry, Jaemin" she just said, and before he could add anything else, she left the house, leaving him behind.

"Later I sat alone for the rest of the evening. I didn't even move into the garden" Jaemin muttered, but there was a sad smile on his face.

"But I had him, you know? My green apple" he said, and Jeno felt his heartbreaking slowly by itself.

The news of Jaemin's wife leaving the village spread very quickly. Talkative ladies were very eager to create more and more rumors about the reason for her departure, but unfortunately, they were all harmful to Mr. Na. Everyone blamed him, and in fact, the only impartial people were Mr. Huang and the doctor in the village. The commissioner, on the other hand, was not in the town at present, and he was not even aware of the situation. Seeing Jaemin in such a state, Renjun endured those moments as well. Once, when they carried fruit around the houses together, hearing all the insults directed at him, he felt as if he had been insulted himself. It made him very sad, and the fact that the man was not at fault made him all the more painful. So they talked often, the two of them sat together, and the orchardman tried to occupy his thoughts all the time. Sometimes they even slept in the same house because of the late hour. Then one of them would be content with the chair to get up the next day with the pain in his neck which he endured in silence.

"I have always said that I am a simple farmer. All in all, I am not providing my wife with a good standard of living. After all, she wasn't from here, but from the city. We met at the market and she, seeing me and my cow, became interested in us. But she never showed any envy about such a life. So I thought everything was fine. But... but Renjun believed in me. One day when he was so comforting me, he grabbed my hands and said it was nothing. That it's nothing that she doesn't love me" Jaemin said, crying at the same time. The inspector, seeing all this, quickly took out his handkerchief and handed it to the man, for which he thanked him.

"You know, Jeno... People couldn't find out about us. It would destroy Renjun... Anyway, I was afraid they would do something to him. You see, everything started to go well, we lived side by side somehow. Yuqi never came more, and I was slowly getting closer to him, but suddenly this action with chickens came out and it broke my heart" he said, already slightly composed.

"Yes, I remember. It was hard for me also to look at Mr. Huang because I believe he is innocent up to this point" the Commissioner muttered, at which Jaemin smiled gratefully.

"I know you can't believe me, but really, he didn't hurt them. I don't know who did it, but he wouldn't even hurt a mouse. That was when the poor man broke down. I was afraid for him, you don't even know how much. I don't even want to think how much he would have worried if I hadn't been there" said Mr. Na, looking at the ceiling as he remembered that time.

"Jaemin, I'm scared" Renjun said tearfully, resting his head on the man's shoulder.

"Hey, take it easy. They will prove your innocence. I believe in it" said the blonde, stroking the grower's back, trying to calm him down.

"But what if I don't and I go to jail? What about poor trees? I don't want to think about it, Jaemin. Help me" he sobbed in tears, cuddling up to his friend. The gardener did not want to say it aloud at that moment, but the sight in front of his eyes broke his heart.

"Shhh, don't think like that" he silenced him in a calm voice, placing his chin on the head of the raven-haired man. There was nothing he could do about the charges, but he felt in his bones that the commissioner would not allow him to be arrested hastily. When several days passed, and everything was still standing in an empty point, Jeno, next to Mr. Huang and his neighbor, announced that he discontinues the case. Then Renjun did not hide his joy and silently thanked Jeno, who, unable to do anything else, only smiled. Jaemin, on the other hand, was bursting with happiness when he heard it from the grower's mouth.

"Anyway, I never had a chance, but thank you really for not jumping to conclusions then. It gave us a lot, especially Renjun" Jaemin muttered, and the commissioner smiled sadly.

"You're welcome. Besides, I was fed up with looking at these hens" Jeno laughed, trying to somehow defuse the atmosphere, but then an unidentified sound came from behind his chair. The men looked in one direction at the same time, and the sight of the helper vomiting due to the memories of the dead hens made them both burst out laughing. After all, neither of them knew a gentler person than Mark.

"Just be careful you don't spit your insides out... like those chickens" Jaemin said, and after a moment, as another wave of vomit poured out, the men gave each other a high-five, enjoying the interrogation moment that was slowly ending to reach this point, the saddest part.


End file.
